Denmark see off Australia to scoop GolfSixes crown
ST ALBANS: Denmark won the inaugural GolfSixes tournament as Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard teamed up to beat Australia’s Scott Hend and Sam Brazel in the final of the six-hole match play event on Sunday.
Victories over France in the quarterfinals and Italy in the semi-finals earned the Danes a place in the title match at the Centurion Club in southern England, and Olesen and Bjerregaard won the last three holes for a 3-1 victory.
Seeking to broaden the appeal of golf, the European Tour was experimenting with GolfSixes, which featured walk-out music on the first tee, long-drive competitions, pyrotechnics, shot clocks and a pink mascot.
“I wouldn’t mind a few events a year like this, especially if I have Thorbjorn as a partner,’’ Bjerregaard said. “I could see it really taking off, no doubt.
“I think the fact that it only takes an hour and 10 or 15 minutes to play could make for good TV and people are not out here for necessarily seven hours to watch a round of golf.’’
Australia reached the final by beating Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat and then Scotland in the knockout stages on Sunday.
The teams were split into groups of four on Day One. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final took place on Day Two.
Each hole had a distinctive theme: music and pyrotechnics on No.1, charitable donations for birdies on No.2, long-drive competition on the 525-yard No.3, 40-second shot clock on No.4, closest to the pin on No.5 and on-course interviews on No.6.